Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1887-11-25
THE TEA-TASTER.
Men Who Live by Testing the
Quality of Tea.
An Acute Taste and Keen Sense
of Smell Required.

The sign starcs down from large
warehouse In Front street: Brown.
Jones Il Smith, Tea-tastcrs, Up stairs.
First floor front"
1t il co nmoa enough sign in London,
where the business of tea tasting is inn
portant aud Widespread Brown, Jones
y Smith have in their place of business
little low table paved with porcelain
sauccrs that hold many varieties of tea,
stove whereupon bright copper ket-
tie sings merrily, two desks and few
chairs. young man in charge brewcd
cup of what the reporter at once pro-
nounccd to be good English breakfast
tea, but which was in reality an in fcrior
guilty of Souchong.
"The arrival of the profes sioual tea
faster in America, said the young man,
sis of comparatively recent date, and
we are consequently very few. Laying
aside all thought of malt liquors, tea
may be said TO be the national beverage
of the Englishmaa, and there is perhaps
no people in the world more capable of
Judging as to the merit aud value of the
various crops than they
For years dealers in America had to
rely upon their European agents for the
quality and fl,vor of tea, but after a
while tea-tasting became business here
just as 1t has long been in other coun-
tries. For years the majority of the tea
used in America came via the Sucz Canal
to this city. This was very much
cheaper than to ship 1t overland. Prob
ably half a million packages are handled
in the New York market every year.
Importers endeIvorod to introduce In
dian tea into the American market. but
1t found little favor. The lighter bodied
teas which come from Japan are the
favorite brands now, although the
greens, imperial, gunpowder, young
Hyson and Tyson Twankys, all
of which grow in China, find large
market. The Japanese tens, however,
are not so pungent as the Indian plant.
Most of the oolongs grow in Formosa,
but the Pingsucy which is noted for
its cup quality Moyunes Souchougs
and Congous are of Chinese growth.
English breakfast teas, in fact. arc
Congou', although we do get an Indian
tea that is of similar aroma. At one
time these teas could not be sold here.
With the growing trade in the trans
atlantic passenger service, however, the
calls for English breakfast tea became
more aud more numerous, until now it
is quite an important feature of our
trade.
As rule importers receive samples
of shipments before the cargo arrives.
These samples are given TO the tea tas-
tiers, and in this way the quality of the
shipment is learned in advance. The
teas are infused by pouring boiling water
on them. The first test is known as
'nosing the tea" This is done by tho
sense of smell and is performed while
the infusion is boiling hot so rs TO as
certain the plants aroma. Then, to de-
terminc whether or no it holds up to
the full flavor and is smooth and fino il
is tasted after the manner employed
by wine merchants who test wines. Tho
aroma Of some teas is so light that it
passes of in steam, and after standing
a while it is positively iusipil, although
at first they start with marked aroma.
II is the business of the
tca-taster to discover all this.
It often happens that 10 grading teas
loss IS paid to the importer. The basis
Of sales in the tea market is the prices
for the quality offered, and not their cost
in Japan. All tea is sold by weight
1873 ID pounds, known as q picul, being
the standard. 1t ranges in price from
- and $40 a picul to $50 aud $40.
Tea tasting requires long experience,
and few persons aro adapted to the
calling. 1t requires an acute taste and
keen sense Of smell. Besides this, a man
can be killed by tea poison, the fannie
acid contained in the tea, although /
suppose coffee oaus $ hundred cases Of
indigestion and liver troubles where tea
is responsible for ono little headache.
However II YOU are ever tempted to be-
come tca-tastcr, take my advice aud
don't Mail and Exprc s..